Australians are increasingly turning their backs on travel to the United States, with a noticeable decline in visitors and a growing sentiment of boycotting major events like the upcoming World Cup. This shift in travel patterns is directly linked to proposed new regulations from the US administration that would mandate visitors to disclose their social media history as part of the entry application process.
The US Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) has outlined these new rules, which, if enacted, would require travellers from 42 countries, including Australia, to divulge all social media activity spanning the last five years. This information would be integrated into the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) application for visa-waiver program participants. The proposals are currently undergoing a 60-day review period before any potential implementation.
These measures stem from an executive order issued by the US President earlier this year, aimed at enhancing national security by screening individuals who might hold "hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles."
Growing Concerns Down Under
The prospect of such extensive data collection has been met with significant alarm among Australian travellers. Many have described the requirement to hand over social media posts, alongside comprehensive personal details of family members such as phone numbers, birth dates, and residential information, as "horrifying" and "draconian."
However, the data suggests that a reluctance to visit the US was already evident among Australians prior to the formal announcement of these detailed social media disclosure rules. Reports indicate that travellers have been actively rerouting their holiday plans and even rescheduling family reunions to take place in alternative destinations.
A Significant Drop in Australian Visitors
In 2019, the last full year of international travel before the global pandemic brought the world to a standstill, over 100,000 Australians were entering the US each month. Current figures from the US Department of Commerce paint a starkly different picture, with monthly arrivals now consistently hovering in the low 50,000s. Last month, this figure dipped below 50,000 for the first time.
The number of Australians arriving in the US in November, for instance, fell to just 45,408 – an 11% decrease compared to the same month in the previous year.
Personal Accounts of Avoidance
Jonathan, a 42-year-old project delivery professional from Sydney, who opted to withhold his surname, had initially planned to visit the US for next year's Fifa World Cup, a country of his birth. However, he made the decision to change his plans several months ago. The recent news of the proposed policy changes has only served to solidify his conviction that he made the right choice.
"I have a lot of family and friends there, but I will actively avoid it now," Jonathan stated. "The whole thing disgusts me and is horrifying, frankly. While I think I would be protected as a citizen, my son and my wife are not US citizens. My son was really excited to go and he was really sad when I told him we wouldn’t go – but now I feel validated."
He expressed concerns that his wife's Chinese citizenship could present additional scrutiny at the border, despite his son being an Australian citizen. Jonathan admitted to having openly criticised the US administration online in the past.
"It’s not worth the risk. Why would you put your family in danger for a holiday? If [US immigration authorities] did a search history of me, my position would be very clear," he explained.
Another individual, a dual US-Australian citizen who wished to remain anonymous, described the proposals as "terrifying," particularly given her family resides in the US.
"I was already planning not to visit until the next election, and now definitely will not. Everyone on US soil is theoretically protected by the constitution. If you are applying for a visa overseas, however, those protections do not apply," she commented. "This development does not bode well for people in the US either and anyone celebrating the idea of such draconian measures should think about what it foreshadows."
A Sydney-based Australian, also requesting anonymity, confirmed he would be foregoing a trip to the US for the upcoming World Cup due to the evolving US policies. His family of seven, who had already adjusted their travel plans earlier in the year, will instead be limiting their international excursions to Canada and Mexico.
"It feels like a continuation of what has been going on since the start of this administration – they are getting more and more exclusive and less open," he observed. He added that his brother and his family, who live in the US, would need to travel to Mexico for visits for the foreseeable future, as "we ain’t going to the USA."
The Scope of Proposed Data Collection
Under the new regulations, US border authorities would be empowered to request a broad spectrum of information during the ESTA application process, which is transitioning to an app-only platform.
Beyond social media activity, officials would also seek "high value data," including:
- All telephone numbers held by applicants over the past five years.
- Email addresses for the preceding decade.
- Face, fingerprint, DNA, and iris biometrics.
- Names, addresses, places, and dates of birth of family members.
Political Reactions in Australia
The proposed measures have drawn criticism from some quarters within Australian politics. The shadow home affairs minister, Jonno Duniam, voiced his concerns, telling Sky News that the plans went "beyond what a freedom-loving" western democracy would typically implement.
Conversely, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese maintained a more diplomatic stance, asserting that the US is a "sovereign nation" with the "right to set the rules."
Timothy Roberts, the president of the New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties, labelled the Prime Minister's position as "woefully inadequate." He argued on Thursday that "The US is supposed to be one of our closest international friends. What sort of friendship is it if we cannot even make our objections clear to such a brazen infringement on Australians’ civil liberties, and an infringement which has the obvious result of suppressing the expression of political views for those travelling to the US."
A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated that visa conditions are "a matter for the country that issues them." They also advised travellers through Smartraveller that US entry requirements are strict and urged Australians to thoroughly check all relevant entry, registration, transit, and exit requirements before attempting to enter the United States.
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